Unattended Live Streaming

Status
Not open for further replies.

Rob1956

Member
Feed Provider
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
113
Location
Southwest Chicago Suburbs
Hello. I'm about to begin live streaming to RR from my summer house in an adjacent state. I have a bit of anxiety of leaving my computer on 24/7 when no one is there. I've completely cleaned the interior and bought a brand new power supply. The computer will be plugged into a surge suppressor. Anyone else do this, and are you worried about a fire?
Thanks.
 

talkpair

Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
976
Location
Clinton County, MO
I keep one of my computers on full time and don't worry about a fire.......I worry more about 'wall warts' causing a fire more than I do an internal power supply in a PC.

When running 24/7 though, your CPU will suck in a lot of dust, so write yourself some reminders on a calendar to dust it.

In addition, check your BIOS settings to see if you can get the computer to shut down if the processor temperature exceeds a certain level, or if the fans fail.

Listen to the fans for a change in sound, as this might be an early indication of fan failure.

An odd odor, similar to an open Magic Marker is not a good sign either......Usually indicates a fan has failed and the processor is probably already cooked.

I've been through several desktops in my life......I'd say the ones that failed were either due to fan failures, or power supplies going bad and taking down the motherboard along the way.
 

n5ims

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2004
Messages
3,993
Three other things to check out or purchase.
1. Get a good UPS to replace the surge supressor. It will allow you to run your computer, modem, etc. during short power outages.
2. Verify that your computer will correctly and reliably reload all necessary software, etc. to restore your feed after a reboot, either from a loss of power or after any automatic updates, patches, or other causes.
3. Get VNC or another remote access software to allow you to logon to the PC remotely over the internet. This will need to be secured (obviously) and may require changes to your firewall to allow you to connect to it from your home.
 

SCPD

QRT
Joined
Feb 24, 2001
Messages
0
Location
Virginia
Thanks for all the suggestions. And maybe I'll throw a webcam (the kind that doesn't require a computer) on it too.

Make sure the webcam doesn't have any sort of internal audio in it, else that will just complicate things more.
 

brandon

Member
Database Admin
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
3,511
Location
SoCal
You might look into a Thin Client for this purpose. I use an HP T5700 that cost about 50 dollars from eBay. It has no fans, no mechanical drives or other moving parts, is completely silent with enclosed case and uses low power. It's served me well for several years now. I also use LogMeIn to access the computer remotely. I have provided feeds on it and also use ProScan, Win500 and other software.
 

Rob1956

Member
Feed Provider
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
113
Location
Southwest Chicago Suburbs
Thanks Brandon. I also realized I have a TiVo running there all spring-fall. It has a hard drive and a fan too, and I never give it a second thought. It's essentially a Linux computer. But the Thin Client intrigues me very much.
 

freightguy

Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
71
Location
Meriden CT 06450
Remote computer

You may want to install TeamViewer, so that you can have the ability to remote into that computer and check the state of the pchealth.

If you want further peace of mind, install a couple of security cameras and a dvr card so as to be able to look in on the property and review footage if something does occur. Just be sure to network the feed to your current location.
 

Scootin

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2006
Messages
2
Location
Eau Claire, Mi
You may want to install TeamViewer
TeamViewer is a resource/cpu hog compared to a VNC connection.
Plus I do not believe TeamViewer works on Linux systems. Don't hold me to that though.

Either way they both work well and if you run on a smartphone you can view your connection from that as well.

Sent from my Optimus V vai Tapatalk
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top